Chapter Ten – Red Nightmare
"My mother used to work with you?" As if Zoey was shot by a tranquilizer, her rabid seizures stopped suddenly. "Stop lying! That can't be true!" She retorted.
"Now now shut up and let me just tell the story." Will stated as he used his telekinetic ability and pinned Zoey down. "Just stay put."
Zoey tried to get up but she was glued to the ground.
"Now where shall I begin?" Will pondered. "Oh I know. It all began during the fall of our kind, the last war, about half a century ago." He smiled as he floated and sat on the air. He crossed his legs in front of her and started telling the story. "After the last war when the demon king perished, our kind returned to the Netherworld scared, like little lost puppies. Now you would think what humans had that would make us lose the war right?" He asked.
Zoey grunted, still trying to push herself up.
"They had their champion, a powerful human with a holy ability. He single handedly defeated us. But let's not dwell on that, this is about your mother after all." He followed. "We retreated back to Netherworld, but thankfully before the last demon king died he had four children. But they were all still too young back then to continue his rule. And no one continued ruling the Netherworld, allowing some devils to take advantage and creating chaos. Some devils even tried escaping to the human world to avoid the conflict and the struggle that we used to experience. That's how devastated we were by the last war."
Zoey stopped struggling. It was no use, she was helplessly pinned down. She tried to calm herself and just listen.
"The eldest and only daughter of the demon king took control when chaos was no longer controllable. At such a young age she was very capable. At that time I was your age and just started working in the council. One day she gathered us all and announced each of us specific roles to regain peace. And that was when I met your mother for the first time." He grinned at her, edging him to continue.
"What are you smiling about?!" Zoey angrily shouted. "Continue!"
"I was tasked to regulate the peace in Sinnoh Netherworld, killing stupid devils trying to take advantage of the other. I was trying to stop our kind from self-extinction." He breathed in deeply before continuing, he raised both his pointer and middle finger up. "Anyway, there are two reasons why devils escape to the human world. One is to escape from my persecution. And the other reason is love."
"Love?" Zoey echoed. "You mean devils falling in love with humans?"
"We hate humans and humans hate us. So it's only natural to kill each other. But falling in love with the other race is not impossible and should not be tolerated." He continued. "They are the lowest of the lowest! An awful disgrace. Of course they deserve to die!" He infuriated. "And that was the job of your mother."
"You're lying! That can't be true!" Zoey interrupted, trying to break free from his telekinesis again. "You're lying! My mother didn't hurt anyone! Stop lying!" She clamped her ears in attempt to block his words from her earshot. "Stop lying to me!" She cried out.
Will only laughed at her anguish. "Didn't hurt anyone?" He laughed harder. "Marilyn was perfect for the job! Too perfect!"
Zoey's eyes trembled, she just couldn't believe everything she'd been hearing from Will. It didn't make any sense to her. Her mother, Marilyn, was the kindest person in her life. Marilyn taught her how to love and to hope. Marilyn was not the type of devil who ran on bloodlust. Someone that would wake Zoey up early in the morning so she could have her milk and breakfast would never be the one who knew how to kill.
"She was cold, heartless and powerful. She was so powerful in fact that she was regarded as one of the most highly skilled devils in the council despite being just an imp. She used to be more powerful than I was. And most importantly, she had a deep-rooted hatred for humans. She killed a lot of devils and humans Nozomi. And she didn't shed even a drop of sympathy to those hundreds she killed." Will added. "That's how she earned her title 'Red Nightmare'. She was a living nightmare. 'Red' of course referred to her hair. Unlike your hair she had long flowing one. It was her distinctive attribute as an infamous assassin."
"My mother didn't kil-".
"Your mother didn't kill anyone?! That's a laugh Nozomi! She did her job with incomparable passion!" Will cut her off.
Then realization beached over Zoey.
Humans might call us monsters, but just because we are doesn't mean we don't have a heart. I know that there are kind humans out there just like there are kind devils out here. Use the birth stone and survive. I love you. Your father and I love you.
Her mother had been in the human world. Her mother told her stories about the human world. It was the reason why she dreamed of being here in the first place. But she didn't know why her mother wouldn't tell her anything about her going to the human world. And when Zoey asked her why, Marilyn would only smile at her. And now that she heard Will about this, she was slowly absorbing it all.
Will smiled darkly.
"The birth stone…" Zoey whispered to herself.
"BINGO!" Will's voice thundered in the gymnasium that even got the listening audiences in surprise. "The birth stone! Now you know why she had that."
"A ticket.." Zoey's voice was filled with remorse. "A ticket to the human world and back.."
Will laughed for the upteempth time. "Assassins tasked to kill outside of Netherworld were all given birth stones by the council. It is only logical for your mother to have one."
Zoey lost her strength. She didn't want to believe about everything Will said but a huge part of her clung to those words. Even without proof she knew that there was a shred of truth to them.
"But her bloodlust didn't last long." Will interrupted her thoughts. "She soon fell to the same pitiful and pathetic path she had always hated."
Zoey looked up at him, wanting him to continue.
"She fell in love with a lowly human. I don't know how it happened but she did." Will answered Zoey's look at him. "And that was the start of her fall. And the most awful thing was, they were mutual, this human also fell in love with her, despite being opposites. It was disgusting." Will made a mocking cringe before continuing. "Marilyn knew her duty so well and despite that she still went out with this guy. She even used her position selfishly. And when the council knew of her irresponsibility and betrayal, I was the one tasked to handle it." Will grimaced. "I killed that guy and Marilyn was detained and punished for two years."
"And it didn't end there." Will cleared his throat. "When her two years of torture was about to end she went missing. She left the council without notice. And then I was tasked again to find and seize her."
"So the reason you raided our village was because of my mother?" Zoey questioned.
"No." Will answered immediately. "I gave up on that mission after failing to find her for nine years. The main reason why I stumbled on your little pathetic village was to gather soldiers for the upcoming war. Like what I'm doing now. It was just coincidence."
Zoey thought about everything she could remember about her mother. Her kind and warm smile, her long flowing red hair, her white fair skin, her beautiful face that seemed to defy aging, her silhouette by the front porch drying clothes in early summer morning, and most of all, her selfless endeavors towards her and her father. She balled her fist. "My mother was kind, she made me happy and father happy, she was always working with her best when it came to our happiness. Your story can't be true." She replied. "And even if it is my mother was trying to redeem herself! And you ruined it for her!"
Will jumped from his position in midair and landed on the ground. He walked towards Zoey and looked down at her. "Redeem herself? Are you hearing yourself Nozomi? I honestly was shocked when I saw your mother again. She was trying to live a new life. It was cute. Washing dishes, clothes, sweeping etcetera. The infamous Red Nightmare, lying on the couch watching butterflies mate in her garden as she braided her hair. Can't you see how crazy and laughable that is?!" Will laughed hysterically. "Living the same kind of life the devils she used to slaughter mercilessly! I can't even believe how she managed to do that! And you call that redeeming?" He asked disbelievingly. "It was a selfish brazen act of her to do that!"
He bent up and shouted to the audience. The audience gave an approving roar. He looked down at her again. "Marilyn thought she could leave her past behind and rebuild her life by having her own family. She thought that she could redeem herself by forgetting all those people she killed. And she was expecting a happy ending after all those gruesome killing she did?" He leaned closer and crouched down. Zoey could barely see Will as the spotlight behind him darkened his whole body. "Guess I know where that stupidity of yours came from." He stood up and continued laughing.
The audience hollered after Will.
Zoey was so angry. She didn't even know which made her angrier, Will making up stories about her mother or Will making fun of her mother. She was so mad that she wasn't able to articulate any retort. All she ever wanted was to strangle the life out of the bastard laughing in front of her. She wanted to rip Will apart.
"Speaking of stupidity." Will thought. "When I attacked your village ten years ago, your mother was fighting against Johnny. Your mother was in full devil form at that time and if I wasn't there Johnny could have lost more than his horn. That was really a touching reunion for the two of us." Will nodded at her. "That answers your question why he pissed himself. You reminded him so much of your mother who almost skinned him alive. He taunted you so I guess you could say he got what he asked for."
"See what else you two had in common?" Will amused as he stepped on the platform again. Zoey felt the pressure disappear on her. She slowly got back up. "Johnny only did the finishing touch to your mother. He was pathetic to be honest."
Two figure dropped from above and landed on both of Will's side.
The platform slowly rose back up again. "I've talked too much. I'll be late, I don't want Prince Lance to wait. Rick and Steve you know what to do. And don't forget about her friends." He gestured at his two henchmen. "And Anna, let's go. I'll be late for the meeting." He turned his head to a girl in slick black single-breasted suit. Anna pushed her thick-framed glasses up and showed an approving nod. The platform rose and disappeared at higher altitude.
Steve grunted in his position. He removed his black blazer and white tie. He threw them behind him. Compared to Johnny, he was shorter and more round. But it didn't make him look any less intimidating than him, his bald head paired with his murderous look was enough nightmare fuel for anyone in the school. He gave another animalistic grunt before crackling his knuckles.
Will and Anna looked one last time at her. Anna clapped her hands, she and Will immediate disappeared like bubbles. Zoey guessed that it was part of Anna's ability.
And finally Rick stepped forward. He was in the same black formal suit. His shoulder length coal hair was pushed back in a slick fashion. His chiseled face scowled at her as if this was going to waste his time. He had that sharp look always unafraid of threat. Because of course threatening was his job. His long legs reminded her of that encounter she had with him ten years ago.
Zoey stood her ground in a defensive stance. The audience roared as Rick and Steve circled around her. After Johnny, she was going to face the most powerful of his henchmen – Rick Rabid. And not just Rick but with Steve Jonas, the most sturdy devil she had ever met.
Even with her half-metamorphosis, she admitted that it was going to suck for her to battle against them. But she had to try. She still hadn't got her revenge for her mother.
"You know what else you and your mother had in common?" Rick asked in his deep monotonous voice.
Zoey only raised an eyebrow.
"You are both a lost cause." He calmly said as he kicked the dirt towards her. Zoey's eyes stung from the dust. She wasn't able to evade Rick's powerful right kick hitting her side.
Zoey flew across the room and rammed into the wall. She coughed painfully and staggered getting up. The wound on her side smoked and quickly healed.
"I refuse to believe everything I heard. My mother loved me and she would never hurt anyone." Zoey murmured to herself. She spat blood and wiped her cheek. Her slit pupils blazed as she looked fiercely at Rick and Steve. "If she was anything, she would be anything but a lost cause!"
She jumped up. It was too fast that it seemed that she disappeared in a blink. She landed behind Steve. And before Steve could react, Zoey spun around, hardened her tail and smacked Steve like a baseball ball. He flew across the gym and barreled through the thick walls of cement. The whole gymnasium shook at the impact as the audiences swayed from the shock.
"Don't you ever make fun of my mother!" She gnashed, her body rabidly shaking in bloodlust again.
A.N: If you're wondering why I focused so much on Zoey, it is because she's one of the main characters. Now that I think about it, I have ten main characters in this story, (Zoey, Kenny, Dawn, Paul, May, Drew, Gary, Leaf, Misty and Ash) that is a lot. But the really main characters here is Dawn and Paul, I will be investing in them little by little throughout the story and as i plan the plot, because everything will be about them in the last part.
Thanks for reading! :3
...Kicks!
